The Changeling
by bubbleglow
Summary: She is a girl with a dark past. At a new school she makes friends with the infamous trio. But even there she cant escape her past. Draco could ruin everything for her. and would harry still want to be friends if he found out her family wants to kill him?
1. Prologue

Draco Malfoy sat in his father's study. He scowled at the room, and especially at the people talking to his father. Lucius caught Draco's look and gave him a warning glance before he turned his attention back to his guests. 

"Yes, well I thank you for your time Mr. and Miss Bastinado. I'll owl you if any arrangements are to be made." He said. The young woman and her father nodded and left the room.

 Lucius's whole demeanor swiftly changed. "Draco! How many times have I ordered you to be polite to our guests? One wrong move can cause us to fall into bad graces. You're no longer a child! It's time you start becoming more involved; instead of sitting in the shadows."

 Draco sneered and changed the topic. " I still don't see why we need to interview all these families."

 "You know very well why." Lucius replied. " I'm interviewing these pure bloods and their daughters to… more or less point you in the right direction of girls you should be associating with. I don't mind you having your bit of fun while you're at school, but when you're at home you have to be with people who can better reflect the Malfoy name. All these girls come from very rich and powerful families - all from which we can benefit from - so start showing some respect." 

So basically he's just trying to set me up with girls in the hopes that I'll marry one and make him richer, thought Draco. He was about to argue when a knock came from the door. A house elf peeped his head through. "Mr. Strender has arrived masters." "Very good Mano, let him in." The house elf bowed and disappeared. Lucius turned his attention back to Draco, but before he could begin Draco interrupted.

 "I didn't know Strender had a daughter," Draco said. 

"Yes, he does, but she was put into a finishing school when she was young, so she doesn't visit often. Now Charles is a close friend of mine, so I suggest that if you can't behave then you leave before they come in" Lucius said coldly.

 "Fine, as you wish father" Draco pushed the door open and nearly ran over Strender. He could hear his father voice trailing after him as he headed to his room. "Please excuse my son Charles, he's young." "Oh quite alright, no harm done." " I say, where's your daughter? "Well she's…" 

Draco stormed the halls angrily. Who did his father think he was, trying to play matchmaker? All his life his father had planned everything for him. He wasn't ready to start looking for a wife! He was 17, young and full of the need to play around before he could settle down. He glanced in the mirror as he passed by. Girls had been eyeing him for years, he could have any girl he wanted, he didn't need his father to choose for him. 

"Excuse me?" a blonde girl asked from behind him.

 "What?" Draco snarled as he turned around. 

"Where's Mr. Malfoy's study?" she asked, a little put off.

 "Hmmph…that way" he pointed and marched off. She stared at his retreating figure before turning and running toward the office.


	2. Beginnings

Chapter 1 

Lera gave a sigh of content as she caught sight of the Hogwarts train. She was finally going to Hogwarts! For years she had argued with her father to let her attend, and was only granted permission once she had finished finishing school. 

Breathing in the smells of the busy train station, Lera listened to the sounds of witches and wizards talking excitedly around her.

"Hey who's that?"

"Who knows? Doesn't look like a first year."

"I've never seen her before."

"Check out that girl!"

"Think she's new? I hope she's in my year!"

"Who's that? What a knock-out!"

Lera walked quickly towards the train and avoided the questioning faces. Dropping off her luggage, she boarded the train and searched for an empty compartment where she could collect her thoughts. Unfortunately most of them were filling up, and she was forced to move farther and farther back on the train to find an empty compartment. Finally she reached the end, and gratefully it was empty. With a huge sigh she flopped onto one of the chairs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sweetie! There you are! Did you get home all right?"

"Father? What are you doing here?" Lera asked, coming out of the carriage that had dropped her off at her home.

"I came home so I'd be here when you arrived!"

"Oh, thank you." Said Lera. "This isn't like him…he's never come out to welcome me home before." She thought.

"Come inside, the house elves can bring your luggage inside." He said, taking her hand and leading her into the mansion. "I'm so glad you're home honey, we have lots of preparations to do." 

"Oh?" 

"You see, while you were finishing up your classes, a letter arrived for you." He led her to his study and took a letter off his desk. Opening it, Lera read 

"Dear Miss. Lera Strender, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…."

"I don't understand father…are you allowing me to go?"

"Yes girl, you're allowed to go this year."

"Really? Oh thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy! I –"

"Control yourself girl! We don't have time for hysterics, we have to get ready."

"Get…ready..?"

"One of my business friends has a son who goes to Hogwarts, and he has most kindly invited us over so you may meet him. You'll be attending school with his son, so this way he'll be able to show you around."

"I don't believe this! Father, I don't need someone to show me around! Am I just some pawn for you to play matchmaker with?" Lera protested angrily…in an instant she knew she had gone too far.

Charles Strender's eyes narrowed and stared furiously at her. "I though you wanted to go to Hogwarts."

"I do, but –"

"Then you will do as your told and get ready. No buts! You are dismissed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Excuse me?" a pretty girl with wavy hair said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear what you said." Lera said, jerking out of the memory.

" No problem. I was just saying that you're in the spot me and my friends usually sit in, and then I asked you if you were new, " the girl said smiling.

"Oh! Yes, I am new. Sorry about that! I didn't know! I just wanted to get away from the crowd. I'll get out of your way." Lera said, blushing from embarrassment. 

"Oh, no! You shouldn't have to move! And besides, there aren't any other empty spots. Just sit with us!" the girl said.

"Really? That would be great! Are you sure you don't mind?" Lera said.

"Nope," the girl said, settling down across from Lera. "My name's Hermione, Hermione Granger. What's yours?" Hermione offered her hand.

"Lera," she hesitated, she needed a last name! She couldn't possibly give out her real last name, not with its dark reputation! "Lera….Arel," she said taking Hermione's hand. "I'm going to Hogwarts for my seventh year."

"Ah," said Hermione. "That explains it. You looked too old to be a first year. Well that's great! I'm going for my final year too! I'm really going to miss this school; it's been like a second home to me."

The girls talked for a few minutes. They found that they had tons in common: they'd both been top in their class, read the same novels, and didn't have a boyfriend. As they were talking, the train whistle blew, and the train started moving.

"So how come you don't have a boyfriend? I mean, you're really pretty, so when I first saw you, I thought you were one of those girls who only care about fashion, gossip and boys." Said Hermione.

"Oh, well, my old school was an all girls school, and I because of my family, I've never really got out and interacted with regular kids. It's not that I don't like guys; I'm just not in a real hurry to get a boyfriend. What about you?" asked Lera.

"Oh, well I don't really have any close female friends. So I guess it's cause of that and because I'm such close friends with Ron and Harry." Replied Hermione.

As if on cue, Ron opened the door to the compartment.

"Hermione! There you are! Harry and me were waiting for you outside! You wouldn't be-", Ron stopped as he caught sight of Lera. "Oh sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"This is Lera, she's new." Explained Hermione, smiling.

"Hey Ron, have you found Hermione yet?" a voice from behind Ron asked.

"Yeah, she's in here Harry," said Ron.

"Great!" Harry said pushing his way into the compartment." I can't wait to tell you guys how Dudley's new diet ended, it was-." He caught sight of Lera. "Oh. I didn't know someone was joining us."

"Harry, Ron, this is Lera. You guys don't mind, do you? I offered to let her sit with us."

"Course not, " answered Ron. "Nice to meet you Lera. I'm Ron Weasley, and this is…"

"Harry, Harry Potter." Finished Harry. He braced himself for some sort of reaction. "You'd think by now I'd be used to people reacting" he thought to himself.

Lera stared at him."Shit! I don't believe this! Harry Potter!? This is the same guy my family wants dead! How am I going to explain this to them? I can't be friends with Hermione if she's friends with this guy!" she thought.

"Lera? Are you okay? Asked Hermione, waving her hand in front of Lera's face.

"Huh? What?

"You kinda spaced out for a minute there," said Ron. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…

Harry stared at her. "She didn't do anything! She's the first person I've ever met who hasn't. Was it possible that she didn't care who I am? No, that's impossible." He thought.

Lera glanced at Harry. She put on a fake smile. "So Hermione, why don't you tell us that surprise you were saving for when everybody here."

"Ooh! A surprise, do tell," said Ron, catching onto Lera's attempt to change the conversation to something less awkward.

Hermione beamed at him. "Ok! I was waiting for you guys to come so I could tell all of you together!"

"Well, get on with it then." Said Ron, switching seats with Hermione. Grudgingly, Harry sat beside him, across from Lera.

Hermione giggled and pulled out a letter. " I've been made head girl!"

"Wow! That's excellent Hermione!

"Yeah! Great job!"

" Thanks guys! And that makes me the-" began Hermione.

"-35th muggleborn head girl", finished Lera. They stared at her.

"How could you have known that? You'd have to have read-"started Hermione

"-Hogwarts: A History? ", said Lera. "Yeah, I briefly skimmed it over so I was prepared for when I come here. Is something wrong?" she asked, glancing at their face expressions.

Ron burst out laughing. "I'd never thought I'd say this, but I think we've got ourselves another Hermione."

Hermione giggled. "It is a little odd, that we should have both read the same book for our first year." 

They all burst into laughter, except Harry. He stared at them like they were crazy. "What's gotten into them?" he wondered. It hadn't even been five minutes and they were acting like they've known each other for years. He didn't know why he wasn't joining in. He'd really been looking forward to spending the year with just Ron and Hermione. But all of a sudden this girl had just appeared…who was she anyways?

"Harry? What do you think?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, yeah…sure. Sounds great." Replied Harry quickly.

"Well, if you think so, I'll ask Dumbledore." Said Hermione. She looked out the window, "We're almost there! We should probably change into our robes. Lera and I will go change somewhere else, you guys can have this compartment." She got up, and Lera followed.

As the girls changed, Lera asked, "Hermione, what house are you and the guys in? 

"We're in Griffindor," said Hermione. "See?" she turned around and showed her the Griffindor robe. " The trains stopped, we better get back to the guys."

They headed back, but the guys weren't there. They had left a note saying they'd meet up with them later.

"I have go too," said Hermione. "I need to go ahead and talk to Dumbledore. Go outside and follow the directions of Hagrid, the gamekeeper. He'll take you where you need to go."

"um, ok."

"Good luck! And don't worry about anything, we'll see each other later" said Hermione as she left.

"Too bad Hermione's a Gryfindor," Lera thought. "I'm going to be a Slytherin…I hope we still can be friends…"

Lera picked up her cloak and put the hood over her head. "_It'll be easier to avoid stares,"_ she thought. She headed off the train, and made her way to the giant gamekeeper.

"First years, first years, over here! Ah! You must be the new student, right? Asked Hagrid when he caught sight of Lera.

Lera nodded. "Well, just stick close and follow me." Said Hagrid beaming down at her. "All right, everybody follow me." He led them down the path, to the docks. Lera sat in a boat with Hagrid, and the other first years grouped off into the other boats. A cool wind gently rocked the moving boats. They rounded a corner, and Hogwarts came into view. Gazing up at the huge castle, Lera wondered what the year would bring because she had befriended two Gryfindors.

All right, well for those of you who had been reading this story before, you'll notice I've changed this chapter. And as a matter of fact, I've changed all the chapters following this one. Sorry, but the originals were just too sketchy for my liking, and there was a lot of unnecessary sentences that originally would have made sense, but then my ideas for the story changed and those sentences would have just been too confusing to leave in. I also didn't like how I introduced Lera and Harry. When I had been writing those chapters, I was kinda depressed, and that really reflected on my characters. Lera came out really insecure and was giving off this sad girl look. In the original, Harry came out a bit too angry and full of himself. In the real Harry Potter books, Harry is angry, but in this story, I don't think I'd be able to work with that anger, so that was cut. Harry was also very full of himself, and kinda gave off this whole "pity me, I didn't want to be a celebrity, and now I'm bored with being one" I didn't like it, he was just too snotty. Thanks for understanding! Review me, and tell what you think - StarryNight


	3. The Sorting

Chapter 2 

Draco surveyed the activity in the great hall. Students steadily streamed in, running around greeting friends. "One more year, and I'm out of this dump," he thought.  He watched as the infamous trio came laughing in, greeted by a chorus of hellos. " Potter's still got his little fan club going…" he remarked to himself, as he studied them warily. They hadn't changed much …pity no permanent damage had been done to them over the summer. They caught him watching them, and they gave him a challenging glare. He sneered and turned away, there would be plenty of opportunities later.Blaise came over and interrupted his thoughts. 

"Found anyone to your liking?" he asked, mistaking Draco for watching girls instead of Harry and his friends.

"Not many people worth my time." Draco replied honestly.

"Not me, I'm not as fussy as you. Even a couple of those Gryfindors don't look half bad."

"You're a sick man Blaise. A sick man." Retorted Draco.

"Hey, nothings wrong with looking. What's with you?" said Blaise, stopping his scope of girls to take a glance at Draco. 

"It's nothing, my dad getting under my skin. Wants me to get more involved."

"I feel for yah. My dad isn't exactly laying off me either."

Professor McGonagall rang a silver bell. The students quickly took their seats. " We are going to begin the sorting in a couple minutes. Please be quiet and remain seated." She left and came back with a string of students behind of her. At the back was a slender hooded figure, wearing a dark cloak that covered them completely. Hushed murmurs spread through the room at the sight of the mysterious student.

"Who do you suppose that is? Whispered Blaise.

"I don't know…I'm guessing that the rumors of a new student were true." Draco replied. 

Professor McGonagall stopped at the front of the teacher's table. The waiting hat sat on a stool, as Professor McGonagall pulled out a long scroll and began to read out names. She sorted all the first years, until the only one left standing was Lera. "This year, we have a new student transferring into 7th year at our school. I hope that you will welcome Lera and make her feel comfortable." She said. 

Lera moved towards the stool and sat down. Slowly, she pulled back the hood of her cloak. Eyes stared at her intently as Professor McGonagall place the sorting hat on her head. 

"Ah, what have we here? A member of the Strender family." Said the hat in her ear. "I'd as soon as put you in Slytherin at the mention of your last name, if it wasn't for something else."

"What do you mean?"

But the hat was already muttering, and her question was lost to it. "Where to put you, where to put you? You're a very difficult one. You could easily fit into any house. You wouldn't gain much from being in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw though, Slytherin or Gryfindor would really shape your future."

"I don't understand"

"Each house brings out and strengthens the characteristics in you that they represent. Slytherin could help you become the person you're family has always wanted you to be. You could become powerful, strong, and your father would be proud to call you his daughter. Slytherin would awaken a girl who has been lost to him for a very long time. Gryffindor, on the other hand, would show you the way to being the girl you've already started to become. It offers you a hard route, but an honest one. You would know true friendship, and love. You will become strong, but in character, not in power. Each house will take you down a different path. Where you want to go is up to you."

"I'm not a Slytherin?" thought Lera

"Only if you don't want to be. Oh, don't look so solemn, its not like what you say will be written in stone. You determine who you are, not the house you live in."

"I never realized I would be the one to choose. I… I've never known friends…and Hermione has been the first person I've ever met who was friendly even though she had nothing to gain from it. I would like to be friends with her…"started Lera.

"Say no more, you're now a GRIFFINDOR!" shouted the hat to the great hall. Ron and Hermione cheered wildly, and the great hall erupted into cheers. Lera smiled weakly as she rose and joined her friends at their table. "We knew you'd do fine" said Ron, patting her on the back. Food appeared on the tables and they began eating.

Lera dove into her food. The hats words to her brooded on her mind. The food and company however, quickly distracted her by asking numerous questions about her life and previous school.

"I'm planning on starting the quidditch tryouts in a couple weeks." Said Harry, in between mouthfuls of food.

"Harry's the captain of the Griffindor team." Said Hermione, turning towards Lera.

"You play quidditch here?" asked Lera.

"Of course," interrupted Ron " It's the best bloody sport there is! Harry's captain and seeker, I'm keeper, and Hermione is our finest strategist. Without her, we'd be nowhere."

"Flatterer," declared Hermione, punching him in the arm.

"Ow, that really hurts 'mione. Anyways Lera, we need some new players, so we'll see you at tryouts right?"

"Um, well there's a problem. I've never really played."

Harry choked on a bone. Ron spitted out his pumpkin juice. Hermione only narrowly avoided the wave of juice, and spent the next minute helping Harry recover from his coughing fit. They stared at her.

"You've never played quidditch?" Ron said, in a low dangerous whisper

"Well, no, they didn't think it was an appropriate sport to teach." Said Lera nervously. 

"Why not?  What's wrong with Quidditch?" said Ron, getting rather worked up.

"They just didn't consider it very ladylike. Most of their clients are really wealthy, and don't like the idea of their daughters playing it when there were better things to do." 

"That's bull! " cried Ron " What can you do if you couldn't play Quidditch?"

Lera swallowed. "Flyastics." 

Flyastics was a mix of gymnastics and synchronized dancing while on a broom in the air. It was generally considered a rather sissy sport, though an extremely hard art to master. 

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, and looked back at Lera with a look of pure disgust and horror on their faces.

"You didn't really have to learn flyastics, were you? Asked Harry, unintentionally speaking to Lera for the first time.

"It's not like I wanted to," said Lera crossly. "I didn't really have any choice in the matter."

"But you can fly right? Said Ron hopefully

"Of course, I can fly with the best of them!"

"Then there's still hope! Harry and I will teach you."

Harry groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted to do is spend time with Lera, much less try and teach her how to play quidditch. Why was she even hanging around with them anyways? Didn't she have anyone else to bother? Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the desserts. Distracted, he turned his thoughts towards getting the cupcakes before Ron ate them all.

Lera felt a prickly feeling run down her back, like someone was watching her. She turned abruptly around, and found the source: a pair of grey eyes watching her from across the other end of the hall. They belonged to a boy, who wasn't at all bad to look at, but was dressed in Slytherin robes. They locked eyes for a moment, before he turned his attention back to his food. Lera felt eerie chills go down her back, like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her. She tugged on Hermione's robe. "Who's that? He just gave me this weird look"

Hermione turned around and looked in the direction of Lera's finger.  "That's just Malfoy, he's a real creep who'll do anything to get us in trouble."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco scowled angrily at his plate. That girl had caught him watching her.  He hadn't meant to even give her a second glance, but there was something about her. It wasn't hard to look at her, she wasn't unattractive, but there was something familiar about her? Who was she? Whoever she was, she obviously didn't have any taste if she was joining Potter's little group of 'friends'. It was a pity though, Slytherin robes would have looked good on her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"_He can't be a Malfoy_!" thought Lera. 

"He's not really –" Lera began, but was interrupted by Proffessor Dumbledore standing up to make announcements.

"Thank you for giving our new student such a warm and deserving welcome. I'm sure that this year will be the most exciting one yet. Before we turn in, I'd like to announce this year's Head boy and girl. To no one's surprise, Hermione Granger is this year's Head girl." 

Hermione stood up and went to the front of the room, cheers rose from all the tables except Slytherin. " For our Head Boy, we have chosen Draco Malfoy."

Shocked silence filled the room for a few seconds, before the Slytherins started cheering and clapping, and the other tables slowly joined in as Malfoy walked to the front of the room. 

"Has Dumbledore gone mad?" whispered Ron to Harry and Lera. "Malfoy may be a smart student, but it's Malfoy we're talking about! How are they going to get anything organized together?" 

Lera was too shocked for her own reasons. She had forgotten that Draco was going to be at her school. She hadn't recognized him at first, but now was sure she would never be able to forget him. It was all over, he would recognize her, and tell his father, who would tell her father. Then she would be dragged out of the school, and Hermione and Ron would know the truth about her.

Lera noticed that Hermione had gone slightly pale when Draco had been announced. No doubt, Hermione also thought her dreams of enjoying her year at Hogwarts had been dashed. 

Dumbledore started to speak again " I realize that Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy have been at odds the last years, but I have complete faith that this year they will be able to put aside their differences and work together." He motioned for them to shake hands.

They turned to each other, each with a grim smile fixed on their face. They quickly shook hands and turned away from each other. Draco wiped his hand in defiance, and Hermione was filled with the sudden childish urge to stick out her tongue. Dumbledore appeared satisfied and motioned them back to their seats. "With all that done, you are now dismissed. Prefects, show your students to their dormitories. If our new student and head boy and girl would remain for a minute, it would be most appreciated."

"Tough luck on Head Boy Hermione" said Ron sympathetically. We'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

"Yes, alright then." Said Hermione. "Don't worry, Malfoy or no Malfoy, I'm going to have fun this year."

"That's the spirit Hermione" said Harry, waving goodnight.

Hermione and Lera started walking to Dumbledore. "In a few minutes, it will all be over", thought Lera. Draco would recognize her and the game would be up.

Hermione and Lera reached Dumbledore, who had apparently just finished talking to Draco. "Right then Mr. Malfoy, here's your password for your room."

"Thank you sir."He walked off, giving Hermione and Lera a glare. But that was all, he didn't recognize her. 

She let out a sigh of relief. "Not the most amiable person you could meet is he?" she commented.

"Most likely Miss." Chuckled Dumbledore. "Anyways, it has come to my attention that you girls have become quite close in the last couple of hours. So, I thought that if Miss. Granger would like it, you two might share the Head Girls's room, which is more than big enough for two girls to share."

"Your kidding right?" gasped Hermione

"Not at all, I'm dead serious." Replied Dumbledore, eyes twinkling merrily. 

"That would be perfect!" cried the two girls together. "Thank you!"

"It is my pleasure to make sure my students live comfortably. The password is: Sphinx flame. I bid you goodnight Miss. Granger and Miss. Arel."

Hermione and Lera walked out the Great Hall. "How did he know my last name?" asked Lera.

"Dumbledore is pretty smart, nothing really escapes his notice. He probably just looked in the records." Replied Hermione cheerfully.

"_But Arel isn't even my real last name_" thought Lera. "I can't believe we're sharing a room all to ourself!" she said.

" I know! I was so nervous about having such a big room to myself! I think this is it!" said Hermione, stopping at a painting. The painting was of a unicorn sitting in the middle of a forest. A tree nymph came out of tree and asked for the password. "Sphinx flame." Said Hermione. The nymph smiled and nodded and the painting swung open to reveal a door. They stepped in and gasped.

It was a room fit for any king. Gryffindor's rich colours decorated the room in a comforting glow.  A fireplace was little on the right wall. In front, was a small coffee table, with couches and chairs surrounding it. The walls had plenty of empty space for hanging pictures, and there were several empty bookcases. A large orange cat stretched out on one of the couches. 

"Crookshanks!" cried Hermione. Lera went into the bedrooms. 

Inside there were two four post beds, with drawn silk curtains. There were two desks for the studies ahead. She opened the closet and discovered that it had been fixed with a spell to have infinite space. At the far end of the room were glass doors, opening out to the balcony.

" Lera! Come see these bathrooms, they're huge!" called Hermione.

The girls spent almost an hour exploring their room, and at the end of it, they were thoroughly exhausted. "What do you say we turn in?" suggested Hermione.

"Sounds good, I'm pooped." Replied Lera.

They got ready, and Hermione fell asleep the instant she hit the bed. Lera reflected on her decision to become a Gryffindor. Had she done the right thing? She wasn't so sure anymore. Becoming a Gryffindor meant that she might not get involved in the dark arts. And if her future wasn't in the dark arts, where was it? She groaned. This was sure to haunt her for many sleepless nights.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, that's a wrap! Took me long enough! Thank you for being so patient! No excuses – I'm just lazyJ anyways, I apologize! 

Special thanks to:

Caroline Hal

Evil Aryante

Smart-witch31

You guys are awesome! I really appreciate you reviewing me! 

Ok, so onwards for the brief points of this chapter: Lera's sorted into Griffindor, we find out that she can do flyastics and she's never played quidditch. Draco and Hermione are head boy and girl, and Draco thinks there's something familiar about Lera. Harry still doesn't like Lera, and Hermione and Lera are now sharing the Head Girls room. 

Ok – about flyastics. Crappy name I know! But I can't think of anything else! Suggestions would be really appreciated! Anyways, be patient and review!!!!!!!!!

- Starrynight


	4. First Day

Chapter 3

Hermione woke the next morning. For a moment, she forgot why she wasn't in the girl's dormitory, and upon remembering, smiled cheerfully. She looked over to the bed beside her, and was surprised to see it was empty. 

Guess I'm not the only early riser in Hogwarts, she thought. She found a note on her bedside table.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hope I didn't disturb you, I've gone out to do a few warm ups on my broom. ( I don't want to get out of shape) Save me a seat and I'll meet you down for breakfast._

_-Lera_

Glancing at the clock, Hermione realized she would have to get moving if she was going to be ready for her first day as Head Girl. She quickly had a shower, got dressed and rushed out the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry, Harry wake up! We're gonna be late!"

Harry groggily woke up. Sitting up, he watched as Ron frantically ran around the room. "What time is it?"

"7:30, breakfast is almost over, and Hermione is going to get worried if we're not there." said Ron, his voice muffled as he threw on his uniform.

That woke Harry up, he hurriedly rushed around, and within minutes he and Ron were running out the door. Now, he thought, was probably the best time to talk to Ron.

"Ron, hold up for a minute, I need to ask you something."

"What?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I just wanted to know if you think Lera's going to be hanging around with us a lot this year."

Ron paused thoughtfully, " To be honest, yeah, I think she will be. Why? Does it matter?

"No, well yeah, kinda. Its just that I was really looking forward to spending our last year with just the three of us."

"Harry, I know you were looking forward to it, but you have to think about Hermione."

"What about her?"

"You know that Hermione has a hard time making friends with girls. Being friends with Lera really means a lot to her. And Lera is really nice; you just need to get to know her. Please try to be friendly to her, for Hermione."

"Anything for Hermione," replied Harry, though deep down, he knew that he couldn't put his full heart into the request.

"That's the spirit," said Ron, completely oblivious as they arrived in the Great hall. "Hey Hermione!"

"Hey Guys! I was getting worried! What took you so long?" said Hermione, who was sitting down finishing her breakfast.

Ron and Harry sat down. "We slept in, is there any food left?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and motioned to several plates of food she had saved for them. "Have either of you seen Lera? She left before I woke up, and I'm worried that she might be lost."

"Haven't seen her, but I bet that's her coming down the stairs." Said Ron, pointing towards a large group of teenagers coming down the stairs with Lera.

"Oh, there are my friends! Thanks so much for helping me find my way! She said to the group. 

"You're not going to sit with us?" said one boy disappointed. His expression was mirrored on many other faces. 

"I'm sorry, but I promised. Maybe another day." She said smiling. She waved and then walked over and sat beside Hermione. "Sorry I'm late, I got lost. I knew I shouldn't have tried to find my way by myself. Luckily those guys were able to help me."

"Of course, lucky you!" said Hermione starting to giggle, and Lera soon joined in. 

"I'm so nervous", said Lera. "What's our schedule?"

"Who cares?" said Ron, "the more important question is who do we have the classes with?"

"Herbology, and Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination with Ravenclaw and Defence against the Dark arts and again, Potions with Slytherin." Replied Hermione, "I checked the schedule already. On a happier note, Lera and I get to share the Head girls room!"

"You're kidding!" cried Ron "Jeez, are you pulling strings already Hermione?"

"Of course not!" cried Hermionie disapprovingly. "Dumbledore suggested it."

"That so cool! So when do we get to see your room?"

"After school, but first we should probably get to class, the bell is going to ring soon." She said.

"Alright, alright," said Ron "She's always in a hurry to get to class. Did I ever tell you about the time she had a crush on our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" he whispered to Lera.

Lera started laughing, finding the expression on Ron and Hermiones face priceless. "I'd be careful Ron…"

"Whoops! She's gonna explode! Take cover!" cried Ron glancing at the slowly advancing Hermione. He took Lera by the arm; "Lets get out of here, before she kills us both!"

Laughing, Ron and Lera ran off, followed closely by a ranting Hermione, and Harry, taking his time, followed them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Lera, classes were easy. Her teachers and classmates were all surprised when Lera constantly raised her hand with Hermione. Even Professor McGonagall gave a hint of a beam when Lera answered her questions correctly. What Lera found odd was that everyone was so friendly. Strangers were constantly coming up to her and introducing themselves. Lera's day went by so fast, that before she knew it, the bell rang for the last class. "So where are we off to next?" she asked cheerfully

"Potions with Slytherins," replied Ron dejectedly.

"Is it that bad?" said Lera curiously.

"Potions itself is a fascinating subject, but what makes it so depressing is that we have to take it with the Slytherins and Snape. God I hate that man!" said Hermione. 

"Watch what you say to him Lera. He's always looking for a reason to take points away from Gryffindor. He's not going to make things easy for you now that you're with us." Said Ron.

"So remember, shhhh!" said Hermione as they entered the class. Taking a seat beside Hermione, Lera looked nervously around, the Slytherins were keeping to their side of the classroom, and the Gryffindors were keeping to theirs. Both were watching the other warily. Before long, Snape appeared from the storage room and began to call the attendance. 

"Hmmm, we have a new student…well it seems that Miss. Arel has become a member of the Harry Potter fan club." The Slytherins let out a chuckle, and Lera's eyes flashed. She glanced over to Harry, who seemed unbothered by the comment if it wasn't for him griping his fists tightly. "You must be pleased Potter, this is exactly what you like, another person to fawn over you." Said Snape tauntingly.

Lera started to open her mouth in protest, but Hermione and Ron quickly stopped her from saying anything. They were too slow however, to keep Snape's eyes from noticing.

"Is there something wrong Miss. Arel?"

You know very well something's wrong thought Lera. "No sir."

"Hmmm…. I suppose you're rather proud of being a member, Miss. Arel, but its poor judgment on your case. I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a disappointment from Mr. Potter. Thank heaven he didn't become Head boy, unlike our very own Mr. Malfoy."

Draco grinned and smiled at Harry. "Perhaps, over time, you'll come to your senses Miss. Arel. Now, ten points from Griffindor for wasting valuable teaching time."

Snape quickly put them to work, writing scores of notes on ingredients and proper brewing techniques. By the end of the class, Lera's hands were red and sore. "Can you believe the way he's acting?" she exploded when she was safely out of hearing range.

"It wasn't that bad today, you'll get used to it." Said Hermione.

"Does he act like that all the time?"

"It's been like that every year. It's a wonder Dumbledore lets him teach here." Said Ron.

Well this years going to be different, thought Lera. "You guys run ahead, I think I forgot my quill in the classroom." Lera turned and ran back to the potions room. She quietly knocked on the door.

"One minute" came a muffled voice from the storage room. In a minute, Snape appeared. "Oh, its you. I don't help people after class, you'll have to figure it out on your own."

"That's not why I came Professor. I want you to start treating me and my friends fairly."

Snape stared at her and snorted. "I don't believe in favoring anybody Miss. Arel. I treat all my students the same."

"I didn't come here to debate with you Professor, I came to tell you to start treating my friends and my classmates better, or rest assured you will hear from my father."

Snape glared at her angrily. "Is that a threat Miss. Arel? Hardly proper Gryffindor behavior. Five points from Gryffindor for threatening a teacher, and don't come here after class again."

"I warned you…" said Lera before she walked out. The nerve of that man! I'll fix him one day, She thought to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello! Well this is the last edited Chapter! Horray! Now the reason it took so long for this chapter to come up was because I was debating whether or not to combine the next chapter and this one as one chapter, or leave it. I decided to leave it. Alrighty…all I have to say…pathetic me…REVIEW MEE YOU CRAZY MONKEYS!!! – Starrynight!


	5. Hogsmeade

**Chapter 4**

Weeks had passed since Lera's first day. And for Lera, life was just about perfect. Hermione was without a doubt her closest friend. They shared so much in common and understood each other perfectly. Ron was like an innocent flirtatious brother to her, and he was always there to cheer her up when she need it. Harry was perhaps the only flaw in her friendship with Ron and Hermione. Harry and Lera had a quiet understanding with each other: she wouldn't bother him, and he wouldn't bother her. Ron and Hermione had tried to get them to be friendlier, but eventually had given up; hoping that in time they would become friends.

Probably the best part of attending Hogwarts was the chance to start life over with a clean slate, she thought to herself.  Everybody thought that she was Lera Arel, the beautiful daughter of a rich man who had her attend a finishing school for the last six years. They saw a girl who had no cares, because she was smart, popular and friendly. She was friends with everybody, teachers, students, and house elves. Guys loved her and girls looked up to her.

But the truth was, things hadn't always been like that for her. Her father was Charles Strender, a man of questionable loyalties after Voldermort's defeat. Her father had always been a part of dark dealings, and most people avoided having anything to do with him or his family. Her mother was a quiet woman, who had once been proud and arrogant. But she had lost most of her fire for life and high society when her only son had been thrown into Azkabam. Lera's older brother Rafael was in every way like his father: cold, cruel, proud and ill tempered. He was his mother's pride and joy, but had been arrested when he was caught at a death eater raid. Since then he had been living at Azkabam, fighting everyday for his life and the will to survive. Lera was like the black sheep in her family, being in no way like them. In physical appearance, they were opposites. Lera had hazel-green eyes, her skin always seemed to glow and she was a brunette. Her family however, was all pale, with ice blue eyes and raven black hair. Her father was always trying to use her to help him gain more power. 

But all that didn't matter to her anymore. She was far away from them, and living the life she had always wanted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lera woke up with surge of excitement. Today was the first Hogsmeade trip! She quickly leapt out of bed, and started getting ready. All week, everybody had been telling her about Hogsmeade! She could hardly wait! She started washing her face, when she heard a tapping sound. She walked to the front door, but there was no one there. "_Must have been my imagination_," she thought. She started changing into her uniform, when she heard it again. This time it sounded like it was coming from outside. She looked out of the window and saw that on the balcony was a bird with a letter. She approached it, and found that it was one of her father's red-tailed hawks. She took the letter, and it flew off. Breaking the seal, and she read.

_Dear Lera,_

_            Your mother wants you to write every two weeks from now on. I'm planning on visiting your school sometime soon. I expect you to be there to greet me and show me around. Further details later _

_- Charles_

Shaking, Lera put down the letter. Her father? Coming to Hogwarts to see her? It would ruin everything! He'd find out that she wasn't in Slytherin, and that she was actually a Gryffindor. And what's worse, he'd find out she was close to Harry Potter and friends with mudbloods.  If he found out, she'd be gone from Hogwarts in an instant, and her new life would be gone. Calm down, she thought to herself. He's not here yet… the first thing you have to do is write back. She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from her desk. She paused thoughtfully; she couldn't send the letter from Hogwarts! Someone might see and get suspicious, especially those nosy Slytherins. No, she'd have to wait and send the letter from Hogsmeade. Hermione stirred in her bed, Lera quickly tucked the letter in her robe pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Hogsmeade was a whirlwind of moving colours, smells, and sounds. Lera had never been to such an invigorating place. "This place is amazing!" she cried.

Laughing, Ron took her by the arm, and started to point out various shops. "Over there is Zarana's Costume shop, and there's Asvero's Exotic Pets, Casper's bookstore…the list is endless!" 

"So what's the plan?" asked Hermione

"Well, I thought we'd show Lera around, do some shopping and finish up with several tankards of butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks."

"Um… I have some stuff to do, but I'll catch up with you guys later", said Harry.

"Are you sure Harry?" asked Hermione

"Yeah, I'm sure, I'll see you later." Said Harry before he walked off.

"Is he all right?" asked Lera

"Yeah…I hope so." Said Ron.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry dejectedly walked down the busy streets. He actually didn't have anything to do, but had just wanted to get away from everybody. It was hard to understand how he felt, he wasn't even sure himself. This girl…Lera… she had suddenly popped into their lives, and suddenly it was like everyone revolved around her. He deeply missed just the three of them spending time with each other. He had tried to get to know her, even understand her, but something was stopping him. He didn't trust her for starters, and he had a feeling that she felt the same cautious approach towards him. 

Harry walked into George and Fred's shop _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_. The twins now had two locations, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

"Hey Harry!" cried the twins.

"Hey Fred, hey George. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, business is going well, and we've just put a new product up: Scatter bombs! Guaranteed to aid a young rebel a quick escape! How many can we put you down for?" asked George.

"None, right now." Said Harry.

"Nonsense! They're really handy! Take a couple, they're on the house." Declared Fred.

"Oh no, really, I don't need to…" Harry protested.

"Forget it Harry. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be here. Take them. Test them out and tell us how they work." Said George, grabbing a handful and putting them in Harry's jacket pocket.

"Thanks guys."

"No problem. Hey, you just missed the others. They came by about ten minutes ago. They asked if we'd seen you."

"And we met Lera, she's really nice isn't she?"

"Yeah. Real nice. I should probably go, I have to meet up with them at the Three Broomsticks."

"Alright Harry, we'll see you later."

Harry opened the door, and found it was pouring with rain. "Of all the rotten luck." He thought.

"Seems a bit wet out there, huh Harry?" said Fred.

"Here, take an umbrella, do a bit of advertising for us." Said George, taking an umbrella out from under the counter. Harry opened it. In bright winking lights, the words "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" flashed on the umbrella. 

"Its very…colourful…" said Harry, not quite sure what to make of it.

"Better hurry," said Fred.

"That's right, you don't want to be late," said George, trying not to laugh as he and Fred pushed Harry out the door. Watching Harry walk down the busy streets with the flashing umbrella, Fred and George burst into helpless laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll meet you guys at the Three Broomsticks, I have an errand I forgot to run." Said Lera.

"Why don't we just come along?" asked Hermione.

"No sense in all of us going, it looks like it's going to rain soon. You two go ahead and save us a table."

"Alright Lera, we'll see ya soon." Said Ron, "C'mon Hermione."

Lera watched them until they were out of sight. Now she could mail that letter. She walked to the Post Office, stopping occasionally to make sure she wasn't being followed. Entering the post office, the air was thick with the smell of Owls.

"What can I do for you miss?" a wizard from behind the counter asked.

"Can you give me some parchment and a quill, I need to write a quick letter." Said Lera. The man nodded and gave her what she needed. Walking over to an empty counter. Lera penned a quick letter.

_Dear Father,_

_Hope you and mother are well. My studies are going well, though some of my teachers are quite incompetent. Most of them favour the other students, especially the Gryffindors. But I know you think this is the best way for me to build character. Look forward to showing you around my school. Please give me a week's notice when you do come, so that I might be able to properly prepare for your coming._

_                                                            -Lera_

Lera studied her letter. It looked good enough. She had tried to base it on letters she had heard Pansy Parkinson write to her parents. Hopefully telling her father to give her notice before he came would give her a chance to find a way to show him around the school without anybody suspecting anything. She sealed the letter, and walked up to the counter. "I need a real first class bird to deliver this letter."

"First class, eh? I have a couple in the back. Wait here, I'll bring 'em and you can choose." He soon returned, with several different birds. She finally decided on a osprey. 

"Thank you very much."

"No problem miss." She opened the door and found that it was pouring outside. "Rats, it's raining. I'm going to get soaked."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry walked along the wet streets. Checking his watch, he quickened his pace. If he didn't hurry, he was going to be late meeting his friends. "A butterbeer sure would be nice right about now." He thought. He rounded a corner, and was surprised to see Lera coming out of the Post Office alone. "Who was she writing to?" He wondered. He saw she didn't have an umbrella. "So what," he thought, it doesn't matter. She could get wet for all he cared. He watched her. She did look really cold… "Oh curses," he muttered under his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is silly," thought Lera. "I should really try and move to a more sheltered area, I'm getting soaked. That's funny…I'm not getting wet." She turned around quickly. There was Harry, holding an umbrella over her. "Huh?"

"It looked like you needed some help." He said.

"Oh, yeah…. thanks."

"We'd better hurry, we're already late." They walked in an uncomfortable silence. "Nice umbrella." Lera commented, trying to fill the silence.

"The Weasley twins gave it to me. Their idea of a good joke." He replied. Damn. Why did he even help her? She was the last person he wanted to be stuck sharing an umbrella with. "This way," he said, pointing to a small, deserted road. "It's a shortcut." Lera looked at the small road, it looked really muddy and dingy. "Alright." She said, taking the umbrella.

"Well, well, well…what have we here?" said a voice behind them.

They both whirled around. There was Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. "Going for a little stroll in the rain? How sweet of you to treat your fans Potter."

"Shut up Malfoy!" said Harry.

"What are you going to do about it Potter? You don't have anyone to back you up this time. Just you and your little fan." Draco smiled tauntingly.

"Little fan?" thought Lera. That does it. She grabbed Harry, and hissed "Distract him for me." She passed the umbrella to him; she was going to need both hands to do this.

"What's that Arel? Whispering words of encouragement to your big hero?"

Lera ignored him, and stepped behind Harry. "Wingardium Leviosa." She whispered, pointing her want at a puddle of mud. "Potterus stratus," she said after, and started to shape the mud into several fairly sized balls. Meanwhile, Draco was still teasing Harry.

"Looks like your fan has chickened out Potter. Good god, what do you call that thing over you head? That isn't an umbrella is it? Looks more like a walking advertisement."

"That's it Malfoy, you're asking for it." Cried Harry, reaching for his wand.

"Accio-" began Draco… "Hey Malfoy!" shouted Lera. He looked at her. "Eat mud!" and with that she shot all the balls at him and his two companions. Upon impact, they broke, and mud splattered across them.

"Ugh…that…you'll pay for that!" Draco cried. He was totally covered in mud, his expensive coat ruined. Crabbe and Goyle stared blankly at their clothes. They all pulled out their wands. "I'm gonna make you wish you were never born!"

"Just try it!" she said, pointing her wand at him.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" shouted Professor McGonagall, who came running up. Draco replied eagerly. 

"Potter and Arel attacked us Professor."

"That's not true Professor," said Lera. "Malfoy accidentally got splashed by a huge mud puddle, and then seemed to think it was our fault. He went ballistic and drew his wand. We only drew ours in defense!"

"Bull!" cried Draco.

"Language Mr. Malfoy! I'm going to have to take Miss. Arel's side for this. Just because you still think you're old enough to play in mud puddles, doesn't mean you're to young to blame other people for your wrongdoings. Now come with me, and let's get you cleaned up."

"But, but…" protested Draco.

"Come along Mr. Malfoy, you too Crabbe and Goyle." Ordered Professor McGonagall. Lera and Harry waited until they were both out of hearing range before bursting into laughter.

"Where did you learn that spell?" asked Harry.

"I learned it at my old school. They had really high standards back there. I used mud as my object, because I knew that it would give us the perfect cover in this weather."

"I'm impressed. I hope I never get on your bad side."

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you, you distracted him perfectly."

"Shall we go? The others are probably going to start getting worried."

"Yeah, we probably should…."

They walked for a minute in a reflective silence. Harry couldn't believe what had just happened. Despite all their former animosity, she had defended him and had taken Malfoy on with the perfect trick. Suddenly, she just didn't seem that bad. They reached the Three Broomsticks.

"Wait! Before we go in…I owe you an apology," said Harry. "I had been really looking forward to spending my final year with just Ron and Hermione, and when you came, I was really angry at you because I thought you'd spoil my year. Because of that, I've treated you badly and… I hope we can be friends."

Lera studied him thoughtfully. She had been surprised by Harry's offer of friendship. Without even thinking, she found herself talking.

"No, you're not the only one to blame. Up until now, I haven't exactly been making an effort to be friends with you either. I really just didn't know how to treat you, what with you being the "boy-who-lived" and all that. I found it easier to ignore you and pretend you were someone else. I'd like to be friends…if you would forgive me too." With that she held out her hand.

Ron spotted them outside. He nudged Hermione with his elbow. "Hermione! Look at that!"

"Is that Harry and Lera talking…to each other!?"

"I don't believe it!"

"Do you think this means they're friends now?" asked Ron.

Watching Lera and Harry shake hands and smile, Hermione said, "I think so."

~~~~~~~

And that's a wrap! Horray! They're FRIENDS! It's about time. Jeex, it's so hard to have so much animosity between the two, and then have to later change it into a very close friendship. Well I'm happy, I've sweated over this story, writing this chapter, and editing all the previous ones. Horray! I'm done! On the the next chapter…oh boy…you guys are going to have to wait a very…very…long time…  **REVIEW ME!!!!**– Starrynight/ Bubbleglow!

PS. Special credit must go to Akira Hasegawa, the creator of the online web comic "Tsunami Channel" one his comics, a rain scene between two of the main characters, helped me create an idea to help bring Lera and Harry together. If any of you have any spare time I highly suggest you go read his comic -updated almost everyday- (the man is a miracle worker) the address is **http: // tsunamichan. Keenspace. Com**. (no spaces, I had to put spaces in so that I could post it) and if you can't reach it there, just go to google and type in Tsunami Channel. Toodles.

PPS! Alright, if any of you have been keeping track the FanFiction's updates/changes to the web site, you'll know that they now have a new policy where nobody can have the same name. No offense, but I don't really want to be known as the 7th starrynight out there. So now, I'm going as bubbleglow. Don't ask where I got that from.  I'm going to miss my old name, but this way, I have a name all to myself. Sorry for anyconfusion. – BUBBLEGLOW!


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